Cabaret Voltaire runs beneath 36-38 Blair Street in Edinburgh's Old Town, an underground club and live music bar set into the stone caverns that thread under the Cowgate. Low ceilings, booths and a multi-room layout give it a cave-like feel that defines the night.
Who would love it: a drinker who came for the music and a late room rather than a quiet pint. Who would not: anyone after a polished cocktail lounge, since this is a sweaty club and gig space first and a bar second.
The venue spans two floors and a triple-roomed subterranean layout, with a main room built around a D and B soundsystem and tailored lighting. The Skinny describes it as one of the most prolific of Edinburgh's clubs, with a programme that covers most corners of underground music. The booths and tight rooms keep the focus on the floor.
The programming is the point. Cabaret Voltaire runs house and techno from a revolving line-up of DJs across the week, alongside live bands and acoustic gigs each month, and it leans hard into Edinburgh's Fringe each August. The result is a venue that reads more as a music room than a drinks destination.
The bar itself stays simple, with draught beer, house spirits and a short cocktail list priced for a club rather than a lounge. The rooms open onto each other, so a quieter back booth is never far from the main floor when the soundsystem gets loud. That layout lets a group split between the dancefloor and a seat without losing the night.
Marcus Webb's read for the discerning drinker: this is a venue to match to the line-up rather than the bar list, so check who is playing before you commit the night. Keep the order simple, a beer or a clean spirit and mixer, since the bar moves fast and the value here is the soundsystem and the booking. Arrive early on a club night to claim a booth before the floor fills.
The crowd shifts with the programme, from techno regulars to gig-goers and a younger weekend set, and it runs latest on Friday and Saturday when the rooms stay open toward 3am. Quieter nights are given over to private hire and one-off events. The energy depends on the night more than the room.
What guests flag, across Tripadvisor and Edinburgh nightlife guides, is consistent. The soundsystem, the atmosphere and the reasonable drink prices for the city earn the praise, while the steady cautions are the heat, the queues at peak and tight facilities on a busy night. Come for the music and treat the bar as fuel.
Best time to go: a Friday or Saturday club night, early enough to settle in before the main room fills. The underground layout is the draw, so take the lower rooms rather than hovering near the entrance. Cabaret Voltaire is a live music bar that earns its place on the booking and the soundsystem, not on the cocktail list.
It belongs on any short list of Edinburgh rooms built for music after dark. See where it sits among the best live music bars in Edinburgh, and read our wider guide to the best bars in Edinburgh for the full picture.
Pair this bar with
For an intimate basement gig room, compare Sneaky Pete's Edinburgh. For nightly live jazz in a cellar, try The Jazz Bar Edinburgh. And for a rock and metal cavern bar nearby, Bannermans Edinburgh makes the natural second stop.
Sources
Cabaret Voltaire: official site · The Skinny: Cabaret Voltaire · Tripadvisor: Cabaret Voltaire · Google Maps reviews (2026)
Reviewed by Marcus Webb, barsforKings. Published Feb 18, 2026 · Last reviewed Jun 13, 2026.
